Anyone remember KPAT in this market?

[bobgowa]

I vaguely recall KRE once having the callsign KPAT. Is that correct? Were they ever a Mutual affiliate, or if not, who was the local Mutual station?

Thanks!

Bob Gowa
"Murphy was an optimist"

 

[BossRadioDJ]

I vaguely recall KRE once having the callsign KPAT. Is that correct? Were they ever a Mutual affiliate, or if not, who was the local Mutual station?

KRE (1400 AM) became KPAT on April 29, 1963, getting its call letters from co-owned WPAT in Paterson, N.J., a notable "good music" station serving metropolitan New York.

On June 11, 1972 -- the station's 50th anniversary -- KPAT switched back to KRE, call letters it retained until becoming KBLX on August 13, 1986.

I've looked through the notes I have about the station's history, and can't find any reference to an affiliation with Mutual (which doesn't mean that there wasn't one).

David Kaye, do you have anything in your Mutual notes?

 

[BossRadioDJ]

I neglected to note that, if you are a KRE, KPAT, KBLX, KBFN or KVTO alumnus (AM or FM), or if you know someone who is, get on over to the Live At KRE event this Saturday, July 18, on the grounds of the old station.

CHRS will be holding an Alumni Reunion as part of the day's program.

Not an alum? Get over there anyway:

http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/KRELIve2009.html

 

[Madmansam]

I vaguely recall KRE once having the callsign KPAT. Is that correct? Were they ever a Mutual affiliate, or if not, who was the local Mutual station?

KRE (1400 AM) became KPAT on April 29, 1963, getting its call letters from co-owned WPAT in Paterson, N.J., a notable "good music" station serving metropolitan New York.

On June 11, 1972 -- the station's 50th anniversary -- KPAT switched back to KRE, call letters it retained until becoming KBLX on August 13, 1986.

I am curious, Was KPAT only on 1400 or did 102.9 use the KPAT calls too?

 

[BossRadioDJ]

I am curious, Was KPAT only on 1400 or did 102.9 use the KPAT calls too?

Both the AM and FM used the KPAT call letters from 4/29/1963 until 1972, although the FM may have kept the KPAT calls for a few weeks longer. (My notes are confusing in regard to this, but I can't think of any reason why both the AM and FM wouldn't have switched over at the same time.)

 

[DavidKaye]

David Kaye, do you have anything in your Mutual notes?

I have no info about KRE ever being a Mutual affiliate, and as KPAT they adhered very strongly to their music blocks format, so I doubt they would have disrupted it by putting in any network material.

 

[SFStatic]

"Across the nation, and around the world, people and events are making nooooz at this hour. I'm ________, Mutual News." Just seeing the name of the network in print made me laugh.

 

[DavidKaye]

"Across the nation, and around the world, people and events are making nooooz at this hour. I'm ________, Mutual News." Just seeing the name of the network in print made me laugh.

"Dan HACKel, Mutual News"

Does anybody remember when 3M used to run radio ads that included the Mutual sounder as part of their musical bed (sort of like what public radio's "Marketplace" used to do with GE)? At the time 3M owned Mutual.

 

[lenhockey]

KPAT was home to the ABA's Oakland Oaks basketball team during the 1967-68 season. Chuck Hinkle did the play by play. I think he stuck around through 1970 doing news after the Oaks moved east

 

[pard]

EXcellent knowledge. Rick Barry, Doug Moe, Larry Brown and Oakland's Jim Hadnot were Oaks.

 

[lenhockey]

Thanks Pard...KPAT did 78 Oaks games that season. It was KPAT's first and only venture in the world of sports play by play.
KPAT announcer lineup was as follows for Sept. through at least Nov., 1967
6-10 am Brian Cavanaugh
10-2pm Ed Robbins
2-6pm Gene Brodeur
6-10 pm Al Edwards
10-6am Walt Jamond
Hinkle did a 5:30 sportscast..
Does anyone have any play by play tapes of Chuck Hinkle?

 

[stub]

KPAT was home to the ABA's Oakland Oaks basketball team during the 1967-68 season. Chuck Hinkle did the play by play. I think he stuck around through 1970 doing news after the Oaks moved east

Rick Barry had to sit out the 6768 season I believe and did color with hinkle; in 68-69 there were no regular season broadcasts, but Hinkle did playoffs on radio (alone I believe) on KEEN and KIIS; then the Oaks were gone

 

[thebeach33445]

Hey Guys:

I enjoyed reading the past post and I was wondering if anybody can help me with a couple of questions about KPAT-AM-FM.

1. Was KPAT 1400 102.9 a 100% Simulcast (Beautiful Music) from 1963 to 1972? Because I saw in the braodcasting yearbooks 1971 and 1972 it had seperate programming.

2. Is it true that KPAT-AM-FM changed format's to all jazz KRE-AM-FM on June 11, 1972?

Thanks

T.J.

 

[DavidKaye]

David Kaye, do you have anything in your Mutual notes?

Mutual bounced around a lot because nobody locally wanted what was left of their programming. I don't recall it being on KPAT, but it might have been there briefly during a transition period, probably about 1967 or 68.

For the most part, in the post-KFRC days, Mutual moved to KKHI, which as I recall didn't take many Mutual programs except commentator Fulton J. Sheen and a newscast or two. They mainly just cleared the spots, since Mutual was paying big city affiliates to clear spots. I may be mistaken, but KKHI may have also acted as the delay center for the West Coast (delaying drive-time programs by 3 hours).

Mutual moved to KSAY 1010 probably about 1969, where they actually did run the newscasts, but this didn't bode well because KSAY signed off at sunset and there was a lot of inventory to clear in addition to their locally sold spots.

Mutual's west coast delay center moved to KIRO (I think) in Seattle sometime in the early 70s as far as I know. KSAY was never a delay center.

Mutual eventually moved local affiliation to 500 watt KWUN in Concord (when I worked there in the 70s) because Bill Adler, the owner, wanted a big city sound for his small station. But Mutual wouldn't pay for clearance on the station due to its small signal and tiny market coverage. As I remember, Mutual charged him $200 a month for service, which wasn't a bad deal given the boost in prestige he got with the affiliation.

Simultaneous with or a little after the KWUN affiliation, Mutual hooked up with KNEW, which did give them a city-grade outlet for their spots.

If KRE/KPAT had Mutual afiliation, it would have been during the KPAT years, and probably about 1968 or so.

 

[DavidKaye]

I am curious, Was KPAT only on 1400 or did 102.9 use the KPAT calls too?

Both the AM and FM used the KPAT call letters from 4/29/1963 until 1972, although the FM may have kept the KPAT calls for a few weeks longer. (My notes are confusing in regard to this, but I can't think of any reason why both the AM and FM wouldn't have switched over at the same time.)

MAN, I didn't realize how old these posts were. Anyhow, there was an ad in "FM & Cultural Guide", a, believe it or not, FM radio magazine, that boasted that you could listen to KPAT "on radio at 1400" and at 102.9 "on FM". They called it "radio", "regular radio" and "standard radio", but never AM. Very odd.

 

[DanStrassberg]

For the most part, in the post-KFRC days, Mutual moved to KKHI, which as I recall didn't take many Mutual programs except commentator Fulton J. Sheen and a newscast or two.

Are you sure that you don't mean Fulton Lewis Jr. Lewis was a news commentator on Mutual for many years.

Episcopal (IIRC) Bishop Fulton J Sheen is probably best known for his very popular inspirational TV program, which might have been named "The Power of Positive Thinking" (but I could be wrong about the program name). Sheen was likely also on the radio, but if so, I don't think he was on Mutual.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Episcopal (IIRC) Bishop Fulton J Sheen is probably best known for his very popular inspirational TV program, which might have been named "The Power of Positive Thinking" (but I could be wrong about the program name). Sheen was likely also on the radio, but if so, I don't think he was on Mutual.

Fulton Sheen was the Catholic archbishop of New York. He hosted the "Catholic Hour" on radio from 1930 until 1950.

"The Power of Positive Thinking" was written by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.

Aside from that, everything else you said was correct. Too bad somebody hasn't invented the Internet yet so you can check these things...

 

[SFStatic]

There was a companion volume to the book sold at bookstores. "The Power of Positive Drinking," By Norman Lemon Peel.

 

[DavidKaye]

Are you sure that you don't mean Fulton Lewis Jr. Lewis was a news commentator on Mutual for many years.

Yeah, Fulton J. Lewis, Jr. That's the guy.